Thinking of You
by HilaryDroxursox
Summary: When Gordo is deployed, he asks his ex-girlfriend Lizzie to take care of his kids.
1. Chapter 1

Lizzie McGuire stared across the table at the man who had once been her boyfriend. "Once" being the key word, there. She followed his every move with her hazel eyes, noticing immediately that something was terribly wrong.

"I'm getting deployed," Gordo said finally, daring to look up at Lizzie.

"Oh," she said simply, avoiding his gaze. She didn't want to say that she was scared, but she was. And he knew that; her eyes gave it all away.

"I need you to do me a big favor." He reached across the table and put his hand on yours. She pulled her hand away.

"What's that?"

"I need you to take the kids for me. Just for a while. Please? I'll probably be home in a couple months."

"Probably? What does 'probably' mean? If you don't die?"

"Lizzie!" He exclaimed. "I _meant _if they don't make me stay longer!" Lizzie shook her head.

"Gordo, your kids hate me."

"They do not. They're just touchy because…well, you know." Gordo's wife, Kat had died a month ago.

"Oh." Lizzie said again. "Makes sense."

"Will you take them, then?"

"I can't," Lizzie said feebly, but she knew she would have to give in.

"What's happened to you, Lizzie? The girl I knew 7 years ago would have done this for me in a heartbeat."_ What happened? _Lizzie thought, _What happened? You broke my heart, Gordon. That's what happened. _

* * *

><p>"Hey," Lizzie said, trying to be as cheerful as possible. She stared down at the two young children sitting on her doorstep. The boy was about five, she guessed, and the girl about three. They stared up at her with Gordo's eyes. Those eyes. They taunted her. "Um, come in." The two kids walked in and put their suitcases down in the foyer.<p>

"Where's the menorah?" The girl asked, looking around. Lizzie remembered suddenly, that her name was Rose.

"Um, well I'm not Jewish, so this year you're going to celebrate Christmas instead." She ventured into the kitchen to start dinner. The children followed her. Lizzie looked over her shoulder, straight into their vacant stares.

"What do you have against Jews?" The boy asked, with the same audacity his father had always had.

"Well, James…"

"Scott," he corrected.

"Scott. I don't have anything against Jewish people. In fact, I dated your father for several years. You don't have to celebrate Christmas religiously, because I don't either. I'm not Christian. I'm not anything, really."

"You dated Daddy?" Rose asked.

"No," Scott said, sitting down Indian-Style on the kitchen floor. "She's bluffing." He clearly had his father's brains.

"Would you like a chair?" Lizzie asked.

"No," Scott said. "I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

"Pizza."

"From Pizza Hut?" Rose asked, eyes lighting up.

"No," Lizzie bent down next to the oven and scooped the pizza out. "Frozen." Scott and Rose both sighed.

"Shoot! It's burned!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"This is going to be a long, long stay." Scott stated, rolling his eyes at Lizzie's non-existent cooking skills.

* * *

><p>Lizzie wandered aimlessly around the toy store. Gordo had left her some money to buy the kids presents. "So, Scott, Rose. What do you guys want for Christmas?" Lizzie asked.<p>

"A baby doll," Rose said. Scott, however, was a little more difficult.

"I don't celebrate Christmas." He said, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her away from a doll display.

"Scott, can I talk to you privately for a minute?" Lizzie asked, parking Rose back in front of some baby dolls, and grabbing Scott by the shirt collar to pull him aside. "Scott, I know you're just trying to look after your sister, but what harm is there in celebrating Christmas just this once?"

"We're Jewish!" He shouted, ignoring the stares of fellow shoppers. Lizzie glared at each lookie-Lou-er.

"I know. But there are lots of Jews that celebrate Christmas without all the Jesus stuff. You can, too."

"No," Scott said, blue eyes clouding over. "I miss Dad! He would never force me to do this! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" The first tears began to flow, and they seemingly couldn't stop.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Lizzie said, defeated. "If you feel that strongly about your religion, I won't make you celebrate Christmas!" She grabbed a baby doll off a shelf and handed it to Rose. "Happy Christ—Hanukkah." She said, leading the children to the check out.

* * *

><p>That night, as Lizzie went to tuck Rose in, the little girl asked, "Why won't Scotty celebrate Christmas with us?" Lizzie sighed.<p>

"Some people take religion very seriously, Rose, and your brother is one of those people. I saw he brought a little menorah with him, though, so he can just celebrate Hanukkah on his own." She exited the guest room and wandered down the hall to the living room, where she had Scott stationed on the couch. He had quite obviously been crying; his cheeks were wet and stained. He was absently spinning a dreidel on the hard wood floor. For a moment, Lizzie stood staring, amazed at how he could get the top to spin for so long. "Maybe later we can play dreidel together." Scott looked up, startled. "Your dad used to make me play that with him every December. It actually was really fun."

"Yeah. It is fun." Scott replied, wiping his eyes.

"I hope you forgive me about earlier today," Lizzie said, sitting down next to him on the floor. "I'm new to this whole Jewish thing. And I'm new to having kids around."

"I forgive you…did you really used to date my dad?"

"Yes. For three years."

"Why'd you two break up?"

"Well, he just didn't feel anything toward me anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"When you date someone," Lizzie said carefully, "they should bring out the best in you. I thought that Gordo brought out the best in me, but he didn't think I brought out the best in him." Scott nodded.

"I think I get it."

"Cool. You want to look at some photo albums?" Again, Scott nodded, and there they sat, looking at the pictures of Lizzie and Gordo for hours.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you know what time it is?" Lizzie asked angrily. Scott stared at her through his innocent blue eyes, not saying a thing. "Do you know what time it is?" Lizzie repeated.

"Yes," Scott replied finally.

"I told you to be home by three! It is not three! What time is it, Scott?" Scott had been at the park by Lizzie's house, and when he hadn't gotten home on time, Lizzie had flipped. She couldn't lose Gordo's kid!

"Five fifteen," Scott answered, leaning against the kitchen table.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Lizzie said, clearly still frazzled. "I totally freaked out!"

"Why? Because my dad would hate you if you lost me? Well, I have news for you. I'm not allowed to go anywhere by myself, anyway!"

"Your dad already hates me. I would feel terrible if you had been kidnapped, though!" She sighed and pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail. "I guess you're right. I shouldn't have let you go by yourself. But I knew that you wanted to play in the snow, and I was so busy…" She looked at Scott, who was not sitting at the table. He shrugged at her. "But I trusted you to be home on time! I guess I just think you're exactly like your dad. He never would have done this. He would have been home not a minute later than three."

"I am a lot like my dad. But I like to be my own person." Lizzie smirked at that. He _was _a whole lot like his dad.

"What'd you say?"

"I like to be my own person." Lizzie nodded.

"That's a good thing. But you still need to be punished. If you were late to work, you'd be fired. If you were late to school, you'd get a detention." She paused, unsure of how to punish this kid. She had never been a parent. She didn't know what to do. "How does your dad usually punish you at home?"

"He doesn't believe in punishing me for little things like this. He just sits me down and talks to me like you did." Lizzie sighed.

"Okay…do you understand why you shouldn't be late, now?" Scott nodded. "Okay, then go play." She watched as the young boy slid down from his chair and ran off in search of Rose.

* * *

><p>Lizzie glanced at the sleeping form on the couch. She carefully tiptoed past him to get her laptop. Gordo was supposed to call any minute now. He had told her that he would most likely be allowed to call every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 PM, Pacific Time. Lizzie wandered back down the hall and sat down on her bed, waiting. A pinging noise came from her computer speakers, and she glanced down at her monitor. She hit the accept button and Gordo's face appeared on the screen. "Hey." He said.<p>

"Hey," Lizzie said back, smiling nervously. "Um, how are you?"

"As good as any man at war can be, I suppose. How are you?"

"Fine."

"How are Rose and Scott?" This was the question Lizzie had been dreading. She finally decided on a response.

"Adjusting." Lizzie said, nodding in confidence.

"Good. They're behaving?"

"Um, well there was this little problem…but it was kind of my fault, too…"

"Are you okay?" Lizzie raised an eyebrow. Why had he asked if _she _was okay instead of asking about his kids?

"Yeah. I'm just…conflicted. Scott went to the park down the street from my house while I was busy. I told him to be home by three, but he came home at five fifteen. Should I punish him…or?"

"You let him go to the park by himself?" Gordo asked, leaning forward on his chair.

"Yes," Lizzie said meekly. "I know that I shouldn't have. I see that now. I'm sorry?" Gordo sighed and sat back.

"It's okay. I guess he's responsible enough. Should you punish him?" A smirk appeared on his face, and he shook his head, causing his curls to bounce around. "No. It'll probably make him hate you more."

"I thought you said he doesn't hate me."

"He doesn't hate _you _as a person. He hates the place you have in his life right now. He thinks that I'm trying to…replace his mom with you."

"I could never replace his mom."

"I know. You're doing fine right now, though."

"Yeah, I guess. Gordo…I never actually said that I'm sorry about Kat. I am. I'm really sorry. She was the love of your life, and a great person." Gordo looked away.

"Thank you. Um….I appreciate your sympathy."

"God, I wish I could hug you right now," Lizzie found herself blurting out. "I mean…'cause that was the perfect sappy moment, and…"

"I know what you mean," Gordo cut her off. He knew that she had no feelings for him anymore. Or so he thought.

"Yeah. Um, listen, I'm going to go to bed. Good night."

"Okay. Tell the kids that I love them."

"Will do."

"Goodnight, Lizzie." Then he hung up.

"Night," Lizzie mumbled, to no one in particular. She closed her laptop and leaned back against her pillow. God, why did she miss him so much? It was making caring for his kids so much more difficult. "I do not love him anymore," Lizzie told herself, "I do _not._" Something deep inside of her said that that wasn't true, though.

* * *

><p>"Miranda, hi." Lizzie said into the phone, balancing it on her shoulder while trying to scramble eggs.<p>

"Hey, Liz. How are you?" Miranda said back.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Fine. Just hanging out with Larry." Larry and Miranda had become good friends in high school, but everyone could tell that Larry wanted more out of their relationship. Even Miranda knew, although she didn't share the same feelings.

"Ooh," Lizzie teased, smiling to herself.

"Shut up!" Miranda teased back. "Is there a reason you called? Not that I don't love just chit-chatting…"

"I…have an issue. And since you've gotten child care experience with Stevie, I thought that you'd know just what to do."

"Oh, my—Lizzie, are you…?"

"Oh, hell no! Who the heck would the father be?" Lizzie heard Miranda's sharp intake of breath through the line. "And don't you dare say 'Gordo'." Lizzie cut Miranda off before she had a chance to speak. "But I am taking care of Gordo's kids while he's deployed."

"He got deployed?" Miranda and Gordo didn't keep in touch as well as Lizzie and Gordo did. "Oh, poor Gordo."

"Yeah," Lizzie agreed. "But he's doing fine so far. He should be home after New Year. But now the real issue is that I've got his kids, and I have no freaking clue what to do with them or how to take care of them."

"Well, first you need some rules."

"What kind of rules?"

"Just sort of tell them what they can and can't do. And set some sort of standing punishment for each broken rule."

"Hmmm…good idea." Lizzie pulled her frying pan off the heat and looked around her apartment. "But…I don't know what they should and shouldn't do…"

"Jeez, Lizzie, weren't you ever a kid?"

"Yes, and I hated my parents' rules. I promised that I would _never _make such stupid rules for my kids."

Miranda smirked. "These aren't _your _kids, Lizzie. Unless Gordo was cheating on Kat?" Miranda laughed when Lizzie made a fake barfing noise. "Oh, come on, we all know you two used to be tight."

"Used to be. As in, seven years ago. His oldest is five. How would that have managed to work out?"

"I was only kidding. Don't have a cow. _Anyway, _these aren't your kids, they're Gordo's, and you need to have rules to keep them safe."

"Miranda…can you just come over later? You can help me with the rules thing, and meet the kids."

"I'd love to. Can I stop by around three?"

"Sounds great."


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay," Lizzie said, sitting down across the table from Scott and Rose. Miranda sat next to Lizzie. "Um…we're going to make some rules around here. And Miranda and I have decided that these would be some good ones." Lizzie glanced down at the paper in her hands, and then up at Miranda for moral support. _Be firm, but not evil, _Miranda had told her. "Number one: No coming home late. And from now on, if you come home late, you'll be sent to your room for the rest of the night." Scott raised his hand like he was in school. "Yes, Scott?"

"I don't have a room here." Scott said, giving Lizzie a look that clearly said, "You're a wacko." Lizzie had seen that look on Gordo quite often, and now she willed herself not to laugh.

"You'll be sent to your…couch, then. Rule number two: No leaving the house without telling me where you're going." Scott raised his hand again. "Scott!" Lizzie yelled, exasperated. "Please just let me get through this! Then you can ask your question!" Scott didn't put his hand down. "You can, like, put your hand down now!"

"But I don't have a question. I have a comment." Lizzie sighed.

"What?"

"You said that I'm too young to go anywhere, and Rosie's younger than me…so if we're not allowed to go anywhere without you, why do we need to tell you where we're going? Wouldn't you already know?" Lizzie handed the paper over to Miranda and walked over to her bedroom. The slam of the door signaled that she was _not _happy. Miranda sighed and turned to look at Gordo's kids. She saw so much of Gordo in Scott, and she was sure that Lizzie did, too. That was probably why Lizzie was having a hard time dealing with Scott; he reminded her of Gordo, and then the memory of their brutal breakup would come back. Rose seemed to be more like Kat, and she and Lizzie were getting along fine.

"Scott, go easy on Lizzie. She's trying really hard to take care of you guys, here." Miranda said. Scott glared at her.

"I was just pointing things out…" he said, getting agitated.

"I know. But…" Miranda didn't know how to explain this. She figured it was best that they knew the truth. "You remind her a lot of your dad. Lizzie used to date Gordo, you know."

"She told me. She also told me why they broke up."

"Really? What did she say?"

"That when you date someone, they should bring out the best in you. She said that she felt my dad was bringing out the best in her, but that he didn't think she was bringing out the best in him."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it, kid." Miranda sat back in her chair.

"What?" Scott asked, kicking his feet. Miranda leaned forward again and prepared to tell the story.

* * *

><p>"What on Earth possessed you to tell them that story?" Lizzie exclaimed, throwing the TV remote across the room in agony. She glanced out the window at the kids, who were happily playing in Lizzie's little tiny backyard.<p>

"What possessed Gordo to do those things to you?" Miranda spat back. Seeing the look of distress on Lizzie's face as memories came flooding back to her, Miranda quickly changed the subject. "Look, they deserve to know the truth, don't they?" Lizzie ignored Miranda's comments about the kids.

"That was years ago," she said, wiping at a stray tear. "So many years ago. And after all the crap he put me through, I still love him." Miranda raised a brow at this confession. She had suspected this, but had never asked, knowing that Gordo was a sensitive subject in general. "He was such a bitch."

"He certainly acted like one."

"Yeah…why do I still love him, Miranda? After the way he treated me, I still love him. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Miranda said, sitting down on the couch next to Lizzie and rubbing soothing circles on her back. "Gordo had always treated you well until then. You loved him, and you thought he loved you. Maybe he's your…soul mate or something? I don't know."

"Oh God, I hope he's not my soul mate. If he is, I'm doomed for life." Both girls laughed, and Lizzie wiped the rest of the tears off her cheeks.

Bujhvueuhduvghewjkr

"Come in," Lizzie called. Her bedroom door opened and she saw PJ clad Scott. "Are you okay, Scott?" Scott nodded.

"I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about your rules." Scott said, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"Don't be. It's in your genes. You Gordon men have to criticize everything I do," Lizzie said, flipping through a magazine casually.

"I don't mean to criticize you."

"That's what your father said, too."

"But I really didn't!"

"I believe you." There was a pause in the conversation.

"I'm also sorry that my dad treated you so badly." Lizzie froze. She put her magazine down and looked at the floor.

"He didn't treat me badly most of the time."

"It sounds like you really love him."

"_Loved. _I used to love him. Not now." Scott shrugged and nodded. He stood to leave.

"Goodnight, Lizzie."

"Goodnight, Scott. Wait! Scott…I know you don't want to celebrate Christmas, but Rose and I want to. So, maybe tomorrow…you can come with us to get a Christmas tree?"

"Sure," Scott said.

"Good. I'm sure it'll mean a lot to your sister." She smiled and watched as the little boy walked back down the hall to the living room. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad holiday, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry I didn't these up last night. New chapter will be up tonight, though, along with an update of Prom Night. **


	4. Chapter 4

"With a corn cob pipe and a button nose…" Lizzie flipped off the car radio. She was excited about Christmas (this was the first time she had celebrated it with anyone in seven years) but carols were a little much.

"What song was that?" Rose asked. Lizzie glanced into her rear-view mirror at the girl. Though Lizzie had only met Kat once at the wedding, she could tell that Rose was a spitting image of her mother, other than the fact that she had Gordo's stunning blue eyes. Lizzie looked to the other seat, now, at Scott. His shape was actually a lot like Lizzie's, which Lizzie of course found disturbing. He had blonde hair. Where he gotten it from, no one knew; Kat had black hair and Gordo has brown. Realizing that Lizzie that she had been lost in thought for so long, Lizzie finally answered Rose's question.

"'Frosty the Snowman'." Lizzie said, turning a corner and parking the car. She went around back and helped Rose out of her booster seat and down to the ground; she had realized early on that the child was too short to get out of the car herself. "You guys ready to pick out a tree?"

"Yeah!" Rose yelled enthusiastically. Both girls looked to Scott. Lizzie urged him with her eyes to say something helpful.

"Yeah!" Scott agreed, smiling at Lizzie. She patted him on the back.

"You're a good man," she whispered to him as Rose ran off ahead.

"I know," Scott joked, and ran off after his sister. By the time Lizzie caught up, the kids had already eyeballed all the trees. "We like this one." Rose nodded her agreement. Lizzie looked the tree over. Good nooks and crannies. Nice, sturdy branches. She grabbed ahold of the price tag and glanced at it. $200.00. _$200.00? _Lizzie had to look twice. She looked back down at the kids. They smiled. They had clearly seen the price, and were trying to butter Lizzie up. Lizzie sighed.

"Sir!" she called to the salesman, "We'll take this one." The kids cheered as Lizzie winced. $200.00 was an outrageous price for a tree. She looked down at their happy faces. Their beaming smiles were payment enough. The salesman came walking over.

"Great! I'll tie it up to your car for you."

"Oh, great. It's the silver Honda Civic over there." The man called to his friend for some help, and they got the tree to the top of the car.

Lizzie pulled into her driveway and looked down the street to the other townhouses. Garrett was standing in his driveway, washing his car. Lizzie smiled, got out and waved to Garrett. Garrett was a nice guy, about 28 years old, and was roommates with his older brother Derek. "Garrett!" Lizzie called. "What the hell are you doing? You'll freeze!" Garrett laughed.

"Can't afford to go to the carwash," he called back.

"You and your brother want to make a quick twenty bucks each?" Garrett shrugged.

"Sure! Let me go get him!" A moment later, Garrett and Derek came over. Garrett glanced at Scott and Rose. "Heya. Miss McGuire, whose kids are these?"

"Jeez, Garrett you make me feel ancient! I'm only two years older than you; please call me Lizzie. And this is Rose and Scott. They're Gordo's kids."

"Gordo…isn't that the guy who—''

"Great, so the whole neighborhood knows about my love life? Fabulous."

"Just repeating what I heard. It's probably a little farfetched."

"You'll have to tell me what you heard later. Can you guys get this tree into the living room for us?"

"Sure."

* * *

><p>"Well…" Lizzie stammered, staring at the tree. "It's...certainly tall." The top of the tree was bent against her ceiling.<p>

"There's no room for a star," Scott commented.

"Nope. No star this year."

"Can we decorate it now, Lizzie?" Rose asked, jumping up and down and clutching her stuffed rabbit.

"Um, let's do that later. I have some laundry to do, and then I was thinking we could go do something very fun and holiday-ish." Lizzie replied, peeling her coat off and laying it on her kitchen table.

"Like what?" Scott asked, following Lizzie down the hall to her laundry room.

"You guys ever been ice skating?"

"I have, but Rose hasn't."

"Rose, you've never been ice skating?" Rose shook her head. "Oh, we've got to do that!" She tossed some sweaters into the washer. "We can go while they're spinning out. Get in the car, you two."

* * *

><p>"Here, Rose, you'll need one off these since it's your first time." Lizzie handed Rose the ice-cane, a metal fixture with legs to help children balance on the ice. "You just hold onto it and push off. Want some help, Scott?"<p>

"Yeah," Scott said. Lizzie knelt down in front of him and finished lacing his skates.

"You almost had them. Come on, guys." All three of them went out on the ice, and soon Rose didn't even need the cane. They all held hands and played a mild version of crack the whip. Later, Lizzie gave the kids tokens for the arcade, and sat in the café with a warm mug of coffee. She had brought some papers she needed to review for work. She was an editor for a small book publishing company. She broke out a red pen and began to scan through the short story. She sighed and rubbed her temples. Never in her life had she seen such bad writing. "Oh well," she whispered to herself, and marked it "_FORWARD TO DANA_." Dana was the head editor, who read stories after another editor had given it a run through. She made all the decisions about what writing was to get published, and the company was running short on decent writing. She had told Lizzie to forward her everything, no matter the quality of the content; maybe they could turn crap into something decent enough to publish.

Lizzie stared off into space. She remembered the time that Gordo had brought her here on a date. He knew how much she loved ice skating at Christmas time. It had been a great night. Gordo had been so sweet, and he had even given her flowers like on their first date. What had happened to _that _Gordo? Lizzie missed him. She remembered another night that they had gone ice skating, a year after the first time. He had taken her out to dinner before that, and had treated the night like something extraordinarily special. Lizzie had thought that he was going to propose. But, no. He just said that the night had been an early Christmas present. Little did he know that the only present Lizzie wanted was him.

"Lizzie!" Scott yelled, running over to Lizzie's table. His face was flushed, and he was smiling big.

"What?" Lizzie asked, taking off her reading glasses and looking at the boy.

"Look what I won!" He held up a small stuffed bear.

"Aww, cute!" Scott blushed and held it out to her. "For me?"

"For you."

"Thank you! But…are you sure you don't want to give it to your sister?"

"I'm sure. I already won her something."

"Well then, thank you! It's really cute, Scott!" Scott smiled and pushed his little body into Lizzie's in an impromptu hug. It took a minute for Lizzie's mind to process this, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank _you._"

"For what?" Scott pulled away.

"For taking care of us. And…Rose is really excited about Christmas. So am I."

"I'm glad. Now go play." Lizzie smiled as the child ran off. She hated to admit it, but she was actually starting to enjoy having them around.

* * *

><p>Gordo called that night while Lizzie was on her Facebook. She hit accept and said, "Gordo! I wasn't expecting you to call tonight!"<p>

"I know. A buddy of mine didn't need to use his call time. I figured I'd give you a call."

"Oh!"

"How are you and the kids?"

"We're all great. I took them ice skating today! Rose said she had never been, and she had a great time. And we got a Christmas tree. The kids are really excited."

"Oh…you went ice skating." Gordo smiled, but looked down.

"What's wrong? Was I not supposed to take them?"

"No, it's not that. I wish that I could have been there with you guys…for Rose's first time."

"I'm sure it would've meant a lot to her. But there'll be other firsts."

"Yeah. Lizzie, I'm not going to make it home as soon as expected."

"Is everything okay over there?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah. They just need some troops to stay over here for longer. They chose me to stay."

"How did they pick?"

"I don't know. Someone told me that it's pretty much equivalent to drawing names out of a hat, though."

"Oh…the kids won't be happy about that." Much to Lizzie's dismay, she felt tears sting her eyes. They fell out and trickled down onto her cheeks.

"Liz…Liz, honey, why are you crying?" _Honey?_ That word barely processed in Lizzie's mind as she searched for comfort.

"I don't know, Gordo, it's just…every second that you're over there you're in danger. I-I can't stand to lose you. You've been too big a part of my life for too long. I wish you had never joined the army." She looked back at the screen. Gordo stared back at her with sad eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere. Please don't cry." She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Gordo…what happened to us?" Lizzie asked, acting like she didn't remember.

"Us?"

"Our…relationship."

"Oh…that us. We broke up." Lizzie didn't push it any further. She knew he didn't want to dig up his old mistakes.

"Oh. I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, Gordo."

"Night, Lizzie." She hung up. For a moment, Gordo sat there with his head in his hands.

"Gordon!" His friend Jason called, walking up to Gordo. "They need us out there." Seeing Gordo's sad state, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"God." Was all Gordo could say at first. "There's this girl…" he explained the situation to Jason. Jason himself was married. No kids yet, though.

"Sounds like one of two things," Jason said, kneeling down on the ground next to Gordo's chair. "One: She might want to get back together." Gordo laughed.

"No way, man. It's been seven years. I've been married and had two kids. She has absolutely _no_ feelings left for me."

"Maybe, maybe not. Option two: She wants closure."

"Closure. Yeah, that's more likely. I'll talk to her when I get back." Jason patted Gordo on the back. "Let's get out there."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, this is the first new chapter of this. Another one'll be up soon. I'm going to update Prom Night in a little while…it'll either be tonight or tomorrow morning. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Bye, Rose!" Lizzie called. Rose had just been picked up by a friend she had met at the park. They were going to go see the new Muppet Movie. Just as Lizzie was about to close the door, a car pulled up, and two Military officials got out. Lizzie held onto the doorknob tightly.

"Miss McGuire?" One of the men asked as they approached Lizzie.

"Uh…uh-huh." Lizzie said. No doubt that she was stunned by this sudden Military appearance.

"I'm Craig Jackson, and this is Doug Moore. May we come in? We need to talk to you." Lizzie felt something tug at the bottom of her robe, and she turned around. Scott stood in the doorway, looking up at Lizzie. Surely, he must have an idea of what was happening; Lizzie did too, but didn't want to admit it to herself.

"Um, can we stay out here and talk?" She gestured at Scott and pried herself from his grip. The officials nodded, understanding. Lizzie closed the door and stepped out onto the porch, immediately wishing she had put shoes on; her bare feet felt as if they were frozen to the cold sidewalk. "Is everything okay?" Lizzie asked, eyeing the men.

"Well, depends on how you look at it. Last night, four men were sent out on a mission to recover some weapons. There was an explosion, and…two of the four men have been pronounced dead." Craig paused here and looked at Lizzie. She had folded her arms around herself, either to keep some body heat in, or to steady herself for the news she was expecting. Craig sighed. No matter how many times he would have to do this, he would never get used to it. The reactions of friends and family members alike would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life. "They are Jason Derlue and Rodney Thompson. David Gordon and Colton Maxwell, the other two men, are missing, and we have been informed that you are the guardian of David Gordon's children. Therefore, by state law, we have to come inform you of this news." Craig braced himself. However, this woman's reaction was surprisingly calm.

Only a few silent tears fell, and she said simply, "Well…at least he's not dead…right?" She turned and looked at the officials hopefully. Craig grimaced, and opened his mouth, but his partner piped up instead.

"We don't really know, miss. He _could_ be dead, since we don't know his location." Doug said. Craig then proceeded to elbow him sharply in the ribs. Lizzie brought a hand up and covered her mouth, sobs escaping her lips, now.

"Oh, my God…" she whispered, sitting down on her porch. She wiped her eyes and brushed her hair back, although it was no use; more tears kept coming, and her hair just fell forward again. Craig sighed and looked down at Lizzie. Even as she was sitting there in a bathrobe and PJ's with smeared makeup all over her cheeks, he found himself enamored by her beauty. How could someone in such a disheveled state, still look so beautiful? Craig gulped and pushed the thought away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "We'll be in touch." The two men ventured back down the pathway to their car, leaving a crying Lizzie alone on her porch.

* * *

><p>"Lizzie! What's wrong? What happened? Is Dad okay?" Scott asked, holding onto Lizzie's hands as she walked back inside. Lizzie glanced down at the boy and felt her head spin. Being bombarded with questions was <em>not <em>making her feel better.

"Please, Scott, just give me a minute." She whispered, pushing him off her and going into her bedroom to lie down. She stayed away from Scott (and just people in general) until Rose was dropped off, and Lizzie went to thank the "play date crew." Then, Lizzie sent Rose to her room while she talked to Scott. She sat the little child down at the kitchen table and set a plate of cookies in front of him. She pulled out a chair and also sat down. "Scott," she started and choked. She took a deep breath and looked down at her hands. "Four men were sent out last night, and they never came back. Two of them died, and two are missing. Your dad's one of the missing ones." Lizzie glanced up at Scott just in time to see him run off in the other direction, tears streaming down his face. "We're lucky, Scott!" Lizzie yelled, running after him. He ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. "Scott…" Lizzie tried the doorknob with no luck. He had locked the door, too.

She sighed and walked off to Rose's room. Maybe she'd have more luck there. Rose was upset, but at least more civil. She suggested that they go down to the synagogue and pray. Lizzie had raised an eyebrow at this suggestion, but she knew it was what Gordo would have done in a situation like this. She finally got Scott out of the bathroom, and bundled him and Rose up. She got dressed and got everyone into the car. Lizzie drove to the synagogue, surprised she still knew the way by heart. She and Gordo had gone there many times over Hanukkahs in the past, and Lizzie had to admit that it was a very nice facility. She let the kids wander off, and sat down on a seat. She watched as Scott and Rose knelt down in the front of the building and clasped their hands together. She listened to Rose say a simple prayer for her father. Scott's prayer was more complex. He said it in Hebrew. Lizzie knew enough Hebrew to understand bits and pieces of what he was saying; she had picked it up from hanging around Gordo all those years. She wondered how Scott knew so much of the language.

Lizzie felt a presence and turned to her right. An older woman had seated herself next to Lizzie, and her head was bowed in prayer. When the woman had finished, she turned and looked at Lizzie. "Hello," the woman said. "I'm Joyce. And you are?"

"Lizzie." Lizzie replied.

"Are those your kids up there, Lizzie?"

"My friend's. He's been deployed, and I'm watching his kids for him."

"Are you Jewish?" Joyce asked suddenly.

"No, but my friends and his kids are."

"Mmmm…"

"He…went missing today," Lizzie heard herself blurting. She looked over at Joyce. Why had she opened up to this stranger so easily? "They think he's probably dead."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Joyce reached into her purse and pulled out a notepad and pen. She scribbled something on it and handed the paper to Lizzie. "This is my phone number. Call if you need to talk." Then she left. Scott and Rose came up to Lizzie.

"We're ready," Scott whispered.

"Okay," Lizzie said. "We have one more stop to make." They drove for a while, and then Lizzie parked in front of a cathedral. "I was raised Christian," Lizzie explained, "but after I moved out of my parents' house, I decided I didn't want to be tied down to a religion. But there _is _a tradition I find kind of cool, and that is to light candles for hope. When someone dies, err…or is in danger, we light a candle to give them hope. I'm going to go light a candle. You two want to come?" The two children followed her inside and up to the front of the church where a long table sat, candles covering every square inch of it. "How many should we light?"

"14 because Daddy was born on September 14," Rose suggested, looking at the candles. Only a few had been lit, but their dim light made the church seem all the grander to her.

"5 because that's his favorite number," Scott said. Lizzie looked down at him, and then back at the candles.

"Let's light the rest. We need all the hope we can get." The kids nodded and watched as Lizzie picked up the lighter and got to work on the candles.

"They look grand," Rose commented when Lizzie was done.

"They do," Lizzie agreed. She pulled the kids into a hug. They stood and stared at the candles, tears stinging all of their eyes.

Suddenly, Scott found his voice and said, "He'll be okay. I know he will be." Lizzie inhaled deeply and smiled. Scott looked up at her, thinking she had not heard. When he saw her smile, though, he was assured that she had. "I can just feel it."

"Me too," Rose agreed, snuggling closer Lizzie and Scott.

"Me three," Lizzie whispered, although she couldn't. She would just have to wait and hope.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Here you have it. Enjoy, and please review. This would have been up last night, but I got a Mac computer, and I was trying to figure out how to transfer my music and stuff through home sharing. Both computers were out of commission. I just had to settle for re-reading **_**Catching Fire**_**. *shrugs* That's not so bad.**

**The Joan in this chapter was based off of my Aunt Joan, because she knows how hard it is to lose someone special. Love you, Aunt Joan! **

**Expect Craig to stay around for a while…I like him. :)**

**Bubbles237: You'll just have to wait and see what Gordo did to Lizzie! Mwahaha! It will be revealed, though, I promise. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

The men hacked through the over-grown brush and ducked underneath tree branches. Starting to lose hope, several of the crewmembers opted to head back to the base. "Wait!" yelled the sergeant. He gestured to an unmoving body. "We've got him," he said into his radio, watching the other initiate the needed first aid work.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Lizzie asked, picking up the phone.<p>

"Miss McGuire?"

"Yes?"

"This is Craig Jackson."

"The military official? Do you have any news about G-David?"

"No, unfortunately." He heard Lizzie sigh, and added, "But we wait with bated breath, just as you do." Lizzie rolled her eyes. Kiss up. "But I was wondering if we could get together and talk…maybe over a cup of coffee."

"I really don't think that would work out…I have the kids and all. But you could come over and talk to me if it's important."

"I don't think this needs to be said in front of the children…if you know what I mean." Lizzie sighed and glanced up at the clock on the kitchen wall.

"Meet you at the Starbucks on Capitol Boulevard in ten?"

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p>Lizzie parked the car and stepped out into the crisp air, pulling her coat tighter around herself. She was fifteen minutes late and well aware of it, but she had had trouble finding someplace for the kids to go. Miranda had been busy, and Lizzie didn't really trust any of her other friends with Gordo's children. Finally realizing that she was in a pinch, Lizzie got Garrett and Derek to watch the kids. She wanted to hurry this little meeting along, though; she didn't know how fit those two men were for child care. Lizzie stepped into the Starbucks, a sudden blast of hot air swooping down from the vents and pinching her cheeks. She scanned the crowd of lonely, sleep-deprived faces and found Craig sitting at a small table by the window, sipping from a latte cup. Lizzie journeyed over and slipped her coat over the back of the unoccupied chair. "Hey," she said, seating herself.<p>

"Hi," Craig said, seeming to take no notice of Lizzie's lateness. "Would you like something to drink?" Lizzie shook her head. Coffee had gotten her through those essential all-nighters in college, but she didn't drink it now; she had never been very fond of the bitter taste. "Okay. As it turns out, right before I got here, I got a call about David." Lizzie slipped her hands into her lap, not wanting to look stupid for sitting there with crossed fingers. "They found him. He took a bullet in the chest, and one in the leg. They're doing an emergency operation now, and he'll get to come home as an injured veteran." Lizzie sighed of relief and uncrossed her fingers.

"That's great! Thank you so much, Craig," Lizzie said, smiling.

"You're welcome." He smiled at her.

"I really must be going. I have the kids and all…"

"Oh, well…one more thing. I need some papers signed for David's return. Are you his wife?" Lizzie blushed profusely and absently traced circles on the smooth wood of the table.

"No," she shook her head. "Just a friend."

"Oh, I suppose we'll find someone to sign the papers later." Lizzie nodded and pushed away from the table.

"I have to go," she said firmly, uncomfortable with the conversation now.

"Wait, Lizzie." Craig stood with her. "Would you like to, maybe…go out to dinner sometime?" Lizzie blinked.

"Like, on a date?"

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, no. That sounds fun." Lizzie hadn't really been on a real date since she and Gordo had broken up. Maybe it was time for her to move on with her life.

"Great! I'll call you later to make some plans." They said goodbye and headed out to their cars. Lizzie's body protested at once again cold air, but Lizzie herself could care less. A date. Finally. And it was with a guy who seemed decent. And on that drive home, Lizzie felt giddy for the first time in a long time. Absolutely giddy.

* * *

><p>"Why are we having a meeting?" Grace asked, hugging her doll closer to her chest. It was the new one that Lizzie had gotten for her. She figured there was no point in wrapping it, since Grace had been there when it was purchased.<p>

"Yeah," Scott agreed, "why?"

"Well," Lizzie started, setting a plate of cookies in front of the kids. "I have some news." She returned to the kitchen and poured milk. She laid that in front of Scott and Grace as well. She seated herself across from them. They were picking at the snack Lizzie had offered. "Your dad was found," Lizzie said carefully. That got their attention again. "He's alive. He's in an emergency operation right now. He'll get to come home! Isn't that great?"

"Yay!" Grace agreed, bouncing up and down. "Daddy's coming home!" Scott looked down at the table.

"Scott?" Lizzie asked gently. Scott looked over at Grace as if there was something he couldn't say in front her. Lizzie noticed and said, "Grace, why don't you run off and play?" Grace gladly complied. "What is it, Scott?"

"I'm not sure I want my dad to come home."

"Scott!" Lizzie scolded, shocked.

"What? He signed up for the military right after he broke up with you, when he was single. He served his term, and he keeps going back, even though he has kids now. What about us? Doesn't he care?"

Lizzie resisted the urge to remind Scott that Gordo was _not _single after he broke up with her and said instead, "Of course he cares, Scott. This is his job. How he makes money to take care of you." Lizzie paused. Then she even went so far as to say, "This was his dream. He wanted to be in the military for a long time." Although Gordo had never mentioned this "dream" to anyone before he signed up, he must like what he's doing, right?

"Then he never should have had us! Now we're left all alone!"

"He didn't know that your mom was going to die, Scott."

"I know! None of us did, not even her! But isn't he worried about his relationship with his kids? Because frankly, I don't even like being around him! All I can think about is how many people he's probably killed!" Scott stopped to wipe tears off his cheeks. "How many lives he's taken. They were just people, too. They didn't deserve that. They were only trying to protect their home. When I think about it like that, it makes me hate my dad!"

Lizzie sighed. She tried not to think about Gordo killing people. That would make him a murderer, even though he was doing it to protect his country. Lizzie would never be able to look at him the same way if she thought of him as a murderer. However, sitting here now, she found herself wondering how many people he _had _killed. She shuddered and shook her head. "I know it looks more incriminating because we're in their country and not the other way around, but your dad's actually helping. Sometimes war is inevitable, and there would be no war without a little bloodshed." Scott's eyes widened and Lizzie instantly regretted her words.

"I don't think we need to kill anybody." Scott said coldly. "Maybe you're just as bad as my father."

"Scott…"

"I hate my dad! And maybe I hate you, too!"

"I didn't do any of this to you, Scott!" Lizzie yelled, losing patience. "I didn't force your dad to sign up for the army, I didn't kill your mom, I didn't put these awful thoughts into your head! It's not my fault! None of it! Why do you hate me?" With that, Scott ran from the room and straight into the bathroom. Lizzie left him well alone for a couple hours, then headed to the bathroom with a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of snicker doodle cookies. She had come to learn that this was Scott's favorite snack. Lizzie tried the doorknob. It was open. Had he left it unlocked in hopes that someone would come to comfort him? Lizzie pushed the door open and sat down next to Scott. He was leaning against the vanity, his legs sprawled out in front of him in an awkward position. Lizzie looked at his hands. He was twiddling his thumbs.

"Hey," Lizzie said gently, handing him the hot chocolate and placing the plate of cookies between them. Scott accepted the cocoa, but didn't touch the cookies. "I'm sorry I got mad. You were just sharing your feelings, and I should have just listened to you. That's something I've never been very good at, I'm afraid." Scott shrugged.

"Whatever," he whispered.

"Scott…I know it's hard for you to have your dad away so much. It probably makes you feel like you have to be responsible and strong for Grace's sake. But you need to just feel like a kid sometimes, too. Do you ever just go outside and play?"

"When Mom was alive, I did. I spent most of my time with Grace after she died. I didn't really have any friends."

"What? But you're such a great little guy." Lizzie nudged his shoulder playfully and smiled. A smile teased the corners of Scott's lips, but he kept them down in a frown.

"When's Dad coming home?"

"I don't know. Pretty soon."

"I'm sorry I said that I hate you." Scott turned to face Lizzie. "I don't hate you. I think you're the closest thing I have to a mom right now." He wriggled his way into Lizzie's arms. She wrapped her arms around him. She thought her heart might shatter into a million pieces when she felt his tears begin to soak her shirt. He began to sob, and Lizzie just held him tightly. "I love you," Scott whispered once the worst of his tears had passed.

"I love you too," Lizzie said back. And she actually felt that she did.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey. I'm still alive! Sorry I haven't posted anything…I've been doing finals at school. I had this chapter written, too, but then my computer decided to restart without warning me. So it deleted the chapter, and I've been slowly re-creating it in my free time. I promise updates won't be so few and far between from now on. Hope some of you guys still want to read…**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, I just noticed that I named Gordo's daughter Rose and then started calling her Grace in the last chapter. :/ That was because I had just watched "We Bought a Zoo," so that name was stuck in my head. Sorry. I might take it down and fix that if I remember…**

* * *

><p>"Put another pillow there," Scott instructed, handing Rose a couch cushion. Lizzie was busy draping blankets in random places, adding to the décor of their fort. She was hesitant about turning her living room into one giant pillow and blanket fort, but she had remembered doing that as a kid herself, and she figured that it would take some of the stress off the kids. Suddenly, the phone rang, and Lizzie tiptoed her way out of the fort and into the kitchen to answer it. "Hello?" She listened to the response carefully and then added, "We'll be right there." She hung up and turned back to Scott and Rose. "Kids? He's here." No other words were needed. They all hurried to get in the car.<p>

* * *

><p>Lizzie's mind was jumbled with different emotions. She tried to focus on one fact as she drove toward town. <em>He's at the St. Luke's hospital,<em> she silently repeated to herself over and over again. _He's at St. Luke's._

Getting the kids into the elevator was a nightmare in itself; she discovered that Rose was terribly afraid of them. Scott finally coaxed her into the elevator by telling her to close her eyes and count to 30 so she wouldn't notice that they were going up. Lizzie finally managed to yank a still shaken Rose from the elevator and down the hall, only to notice that they had lost Scott somewhere along the way. They retraced their footsteps and found him waiting at a nurse's station, where Lizzie's irresponsibility earned her many glares from different medical officials. Now with both children, they wandered back down the hallway to room 334. There lay a very disheveled looking Gordo in a hospital gown. A nurse was drawing his blood, but that didn't stop Rose from running over and pouncing on her father. "Daddy!" she shrieked. Gordo winced in pain as the bed bounced slightly, but laughed at his little girl all the same.

"Hey, baby," he said, stroking her dark hair. He then noticed Scott and Lizzie who were both lingering by the door. "Hi, guys." Lizzie shoved Scott a little, and he hesitantly bent down to hug his dad. The nurse pushed past Lizzie and left to run blood tests. Lizzie leaned herself against the door frame, watching the reunion of the happy family. Finally, Gordo said, "Why don't you guys go look at the fish tank while I talk to Lizzie?" The kids complied, and Gordo raised a hand to beckon Lizzie closer. She sheepishly sat in one of the hard plastic chairs at his bedside. She tried to appear calm, but it didn't work. She finally pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hoping the shaking of her hands wouldn't be so visible that way.

"Hi," Lizzie whispered, smiling slightly.

"Hey," he said back. They stared at each other in silence for a moment. Then Gordo said, "Listen, Liz. I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry about how our relationship ended. I never should have done those things to you." Lizzie shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.

"You were in love. What were you supposed to do?" Gordo sighed and shook his head.

"I loved you, too, though."

"No you didn't."

"I did, Lizzie. I swear to God I did."

"I thought you did, too. I was quite obviously proved wrong."

"Lizzie…"

"Forget it. It's done. It's the past." Gordo nodded.

"How were the kids for you?"

"Fine." Lizzie decided not to mention Scott's meltdowns.

"Good. And how are _you_?"

"Fine," Lizzie said again. Then added, "We all missed you."

"I missed you guys, too." He held out his hand. Lizzie just stared at it, and he eventually put it back at his side.

"How are you feeling?"

"Eh. A little sore." Finally Lizzie broke down.

"I have to tell you something."

"What?"

"Scott…said that he hates you because you've killed people."

"He did?" Gordo's expression hardened as he took this in.

"Yes. He thinks that the people over there were just trying to protect their country and that they didn't deserve to die."

"What did you say to him?"

"I told him that war's inevitable and that there can't be war without a little bloodshed. And I told him that you're still a good person and that you love your kids very much."

"And you?"

"What?"

"And how do you think of me? The same way?"

"No!" Lizzie exclaimed, blushing. Gordo turned his head to face her. He studied her face for a moment. Lizzie leaned forward, putting her forearms on her thighs, letting her hair provide a curtain between them. Gordo reached out and brushed her blonde locks behind her ears, then letting his hand rest on her cheek.

"You were always a terrible liar," he whispered. Lizzie flinched at his touch, but didn't back away.

"How many people have you killed?" She asked, scared to hear the answer. He rubbed his thumb in circles over her cheek.

"Only one."

"That's all?" she was somewhat relieved.

"That's all. But I've never exactly felt the same as I did before."

"What did they do? Were they trying to kill you?"

"Yes." He winced at the memory and a tear rolled down his cheek. "He was trying to kill me, but I had better aim. I like my job, protecting my country and all, but it just seems wrong. Wrong that I'm alive and he's not." More cheeks poured out over his eyelashes. Lizzie stared at him for a moment. She had never seen Gordo cry. Not even at his wife's funeral a few months ago. Then, hesitantly, she reached out and wiped his tears away with her thumb.

"It's okay," she whispered. "Everything happens for a reason."

"Then why am I here still? I could have been killed fifty times over by now."

"Because your kids need you. _I _need you. We may not have much of a relationship anymore, but I've known you forever, and I can't bear the idea of living without you."

"You would have to take care of them, you know. You're their legal guardian." Lizzie hadn't known that, but she acted like she did.

"I know." She heard a high pitched scream emit from Rose and said, "I should go. We'll come back and visit you tomorrow. She tried to pull her hand from his cheek, but he caught it with his own.

"Thank you for coming," he whispered. Lizzie wiped the last of his tears away and impulsively bent down to kiss the tip of his nose.

"You're welcome. Bye."

"Bye, Lizzie."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Short, I know. Sorry. I'm trying to convince my parents to let me go to an OAR concert, so I need to hurry up and go talk to them before they're sold out. Wasn't that chapter kinda sweet, though? Oh, and thanks for all the reviews! Keep them coming! :) Byee!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey.**

**River Tam: So do I! Weird! :O**

* * *

><p>"You happy to have your daddy back?" Lizzie asked, smoothing back the comforters on the guest room bed. Rose nodded enthusiastically and plopped down onto the bed. Lizzie curled up next to her. "What book do you want to read tonight?"<p>

"I don't want to read a book. I want you to tell me a story."

"I'm not much of a story teller."

"Have you ever even tried?"

"I used to try to tell stories to my brother when he was little."

"How old is he now?"

"All grown up. 27 years old with a wife and kids."

"Why aren't you married with kids?" Lizzie sighed.

"This isn't a story. You're just asking questions." Rose just looked at her patiently.

"I'm not married because I don't have anyone to marry, and I don't have kids because I'm not married."

"You can marry my daddy. Then we can be your kids."

"I'm not ready to get married to _anyone _yet. And right now, you _are _my kids." Lizzie kissed Rose's forehead and stood to leave. "Goodnight, Rosie."

"Goodnight, Lizzie."

Lizzie ventured down the hallway to her living room. Scott was leaning with his back against the couch, spinning his dreidel on the floor. "You know," Lizzie said, startling him, "we never played that together." Scott shrugged. "Up to playing now? I have some jelly beans we can use as gelt."

"Sure." So Lizzie went and got the jelly beans, and Scott got out a cheat sheet for Lizzie to use.

"Gosh, I haven't played this in forever," Lizzie said, sitting down cross legged.

"Here," Scott handed her the cheat sheet. Lizzie took it gratefully, and they started the game. About halfway through, they were sitting silently, watching the top spin on the hard wood. Lizzie took this as an opportunity to bring up Gordo.

"Were you excited to see your dad today?"

"Sort of." Scott shrugged. "He seems…different."

"Well, he was just at war. That'll change a person."

"I guess so." Silence. "So, when's he going back?"

"What do you mean?"

"Back to war. When's he going back to war?"

"He's not. He's being considered a veteran."

"He's never going back?"

"I don't think so."

"But I thought this was his _dream_, Lizzie." Lizzie glared at him.

"I don't like that tone of voice, Scott."

"Well, that sucks for you. Sometimes in life there'll be things that you don't like. And you can't do anything about it."

"I don't think your father would want you to use that term!"

"What term? Sucks? Well, it does suck. It sucks that you can't get everything you want. It sucks that people will leave you, and that things happen and there's nothing you can do."

"I think it's time you went to bed," Lizzie whispered, stunned by his words. Scott nodded and settled down on the couch. "Goodnight." There was no response, so Lizzie pulled herself up off the floor and went to her room. She threw herself onto the bed and hid her head under the pillow. She didn't want to do this anymore. She wasn't cut out to be a mom. Especially when the child she was caring for absolutely hated his father, whom Lizzie herself loved to death. Scott was only five, but he was wise beyond his years. Sometimes Lizzie even learned things from him. Lizzie scoffed silently at this thought. Learning things from a five year old? Preposterous. Lizzie felt herself drifting off, and let sleep overcome her. Tomorrow would be a long day.

* * *

><p>They got to the hospital while Gordo was eating lunch. The kids set up a board game on a table next to his bed, and then picked off of his plate while he ate. Lizzie curled up on a chair and went over more material to send to the head editor. She was surprised at how normal this felt, to be sitting here with Gordo and his kids. Well, it would feel more normal if they were in a house instead of a St. Luke's hospital room, but still. She peered over the tops of her reading glasses at Scott. He was joking around with his dad. Lizzie realized that, no matter how much Scott claimed to hate his dad, he was happy to have him back home. The nurse came in and took Gordo's plate. "Well," Gordo said, sitting up. "Ready to play?" He glanced down at the game the kids had brought. It was Sorry! of course. He chuckled. That had always been Lizzie's favorite game; it was probably the only one she owned. "Are you going to play, Liz?" Lizzie shook her head and marked a paper with a red marker. Every once in a while, however, she picked up her head to glance across the hospital bed to the game board. Rose was beating everyone by a long shot. The game ended rather quickly, (the odds were for sure in Rose's favor that day) but the kids didn't want to go home yet. They took turns playing hand games like Red Hands and Chopsticks together until Lizzie was almost bored to tears and insisted they needed to go. They hadn't had lunch yet, anyway. They stopped at Burger King on the way home, and then Lizzie laid the kids down for naps. She picked up the phone to call Miranda.<p>

"Hello?" Miranda asked.

"He's home," was Lizzie's chosen form of greeting.

"Lizzie? Who's home?"

"Gordo."

"What? He's not supposed to be home yet."

"He was shot. They brought him back as a veteran."

"Oh, that's terrible! Is he okay?"

"Yeah. I've been taking the kids down to visit him every day. But, hey, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What?"

"I need you to babysit the kids. They're sleeping, so they won't cause any trouble, and I have to run an errand."

"What do I tell them if they wake up before you're back?"

"That I ran an errand, that's all. Please, Miranda?" Miranda sighed.

"I was kind of in the middle of something…"

"Really? What were you doing?"

"Oh, just…hanging out with Larry."

"Bring him with you, then. You're the only one I trust with them, Miranda."

"You make it sound like they're little royalty."

"To me, they are. They're really important."

"Okay, fine...I'll just tell Larry I'll see him later. See you soon."

* * *

><p>Lizzie knocked at the door, but there was no response. She opened it and peeped inside. Gordo was sleeping soundly, a look of complete contentment on his face. Lizzie tiptoed into the room and sat down, planning to stay until he woke up. That didn't take long. The chair squeaked slightly as Lizzie sat, and Gordo's eyes flew open. His contented look was gone, replaced by sheer fear. "Whoa, take it easy. It's just me," Lizzie whispered.<p>

"Sorry," Gordo said back. He looked at her expectantly. "So…why are you here? Not that I don't like seeing you."

"I just wanted to…talk." She shrugged.

"Talk?"

"Yeah, you know, talk. Like friends do? We don't seem to do that much anymore."

"Yeah. I guess we don't. So, what do you want to talk about?" Lizzie blushed and shrugged once more. "Well, I know what I want to talk about."

"What?"

"Us. We need to talk about us."

"No. Whatever _us _there was is done. Let's talk about you."

"Me?"

"It's good for someone who was in a stressful position to talk about their feelings." Gordo raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I _did _study psychology for a year, you know."

"Yeah. Um…where to start."

"Why did you decide to join the military?"

"What?"

"_Why _did you decide to join the military?"

"Kat wanted me to."

"What?" This was something Lizzie had never heard before.

"She said it would be cool to travel all over the place."

"She wouldn't have been going with you, though. She just wanted you to travel?"

"No. Sometimes the military relocates you to exotic places."

"Like…?"

"We got an offer to live in Hawaii."

"Oh. So, she was willing to risk your life just to travel?" Lizzie could hear the edge in her voice, but didn't care. This was crazy. How could Kat, someone who loved Gordo so much, convince him to join the military just so they could live in exotic places? Gordo shrugged.

"She didn't force me to go, exactly. I sort of wanted to. I was young, I had my whole life ahead of me. It would have been kind of cool to do something…useful with it."

"What about directing? You had your whole career ahead of you, Gordo. Universal Studios wanted you to sign on with them for a new movie." Lizzie didn't mention that she had gone to see that movie when it came out, and that the director was terrible. Gordo could have done so much better.

"I know. It just wasn't…"

"Wasn't _what_?"

"Realistic. It wasn't realistic, okay? I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to make a living off of directing; it's a hard business to get in, and even harder to stay in. Kat and I wanted to have kids, and we both decided that the military would be a steadier income for a family. The traveling was just a bonus on Kat's list." Lizzie nodded slightly. "So, what about you? I know you're an editor. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No. No, I don't."

"Really? Thought a girl like you would have been snatched up by now." Lizzie blushed.

"Guess I just haven't met anyone who's…"

"Perfect?"

"Not perfect. No one's perfect, and perfect makes things boring. I guess I just haven't found someone who brings out the best in me." She dared to lift her gaze from the floor to his face. His expression was hard, but his blue eyes were soft with understanding.

"I get it."

"What about you? Meet anyone special on the…base?"

"No. I guess I'm just not ready yet, you know?"

"Completely. I understand completely." Silence. "Do you miss her an awful lot?" Lizzie mentally slapped herself. What a stupid question!

"Yes. I miss a lot of people. People come and go out of your life for a reason, though. They stay just long enough to make an impact." They stared at each other. "I'm glad I have good friends to help me through this, though." Lizzie stood.

"I have to go. You can…call me if you need anything, okay?" Then, as an afterthought, she added, "I'll always be here for you."

* * *

><p>Lizzie unlocked her front door and walked into the house. This was not the first time that she had noticed the usually icy-cold atmosphere seemed warmer. The presence of children, Miranda had said, will do that to a place. She tossed her coat onto a hook by the door and slid out of her sneakers. A scream came from the living room. Rose. "Miranda?" Lizzie called, wandering through the dining room and kitchen to the living room.<p>

"Lizzie, thank God you're here!" Lizzie raised an eyebrow. Scott and Rose were sprawled out on the floor, covered in pillows and blankets. "They're driving me insane!"

"Try living with them for a few weeks," Lizzie joked. "Thanks, Miranda. Goodnight." Miranda let herself out, and Lizzie helped the kids unwrap themselves. "What on _Earth_ were you doing?" She asked, looking at their smiling faces.

"We hid from Miranda, and when she came in, we jumped up at her," Scott explained. Lizzie laughed.

"Okay, come on now. Let's clean up and then we can grab some dinner." They folded the blankets and put the pillows back to their original locations. "Is there a movie that you guys wanted to go see? It's early still; only 7:00."

"_Puss in Boots_!" Both children exclaimed. Lizzie sighed inwardly. She wasn't too thrilled to go see a kid's cartoon, but if that's what they wanted….

"Okay…and where do you want to go to dinner?"

"Pizza hut!" Lizzie shook her head slightly and helped them get their coats and shoes on. Why was she doing this, again?

"We have to go back to Pizza Hut when Daddy's feeling better," Rose said. "It's always been his favorite." Oh, yeah. That's why. They were Gordo's kids.

"We will," Lizzie promised. "We can go visit him again before the movie, if you want."

"Yeah!" And with that, they got in the car and were off.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: You know what I've noticed…I have one really big mistake in each chapter. I called Rose "Grace," said "more cheeks flow out of his eyes" (or something like that; I meant "tears," though). It's like my fingers move faster than my brain thinks. I apologize for any mistakes. I honestly do proof read, I just don't catch everything. Enjoy, and thanks for all the sweet reviews! :)**


	9. Author's Note

**A/N: I LIIIIIIIIVE! :D I hope I actually still have readers. I can explain my very long absence: **

**My computer broke and I had to use my Mac, which doesn't have Word. So, I tried to use Open Office, but it wouldn't upload to the website for some reason. So I had to wait for Dell to send me what was needed to fix my PC. Now I've downloaded all my stuff onto it, and I am ready to write!**

Too bad I have writer's block on all of my stories. -_-

**Expect updates very soon, but not this week. I've got to study for finals this week, but then I'm out of school until late August. **

**Did you know it's been almost a year since I made my account and posted my first story? Holy crap, time flies. **

**Thanks for reading my stuff, and I hope you've stuck with me through this little "vacation" I took. **

**-Lucy **

**Oh, and kudos if you actually read all this. **


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm finally continuing this story! Do I still have readers? :O**

**Oh, and remember Craig? He's baaaaaack!**

Lizzie dug around in her purse for her cell phone, which was spewing out some old Jason Mraz song, signaling that someone was trying to call. She finally found it and held it up to her ear, turning down the radio volume at the same time. The kids moaned complaints.

"Hello?" Lizzie asked. Realizing she had almost missed their turn, she took a sharp left turn. The kids screamed like they were on a roller coaster.

"Lizzie? This is Craig," came the answer.

"Craig? Like, Craig the military guy?"

"Yes. I was wondering if tonight's a good night for that date."

"Oh. Well, I'm taking David's kids out to a movie. So I probably wouldn't be free until around 10:30."

"That's fine. Maybe we could meet downtown for some drinks? There's this really hip bar on the corner of 3rd and Partake."

"That sounds great. See you then?"

"Sure thing. Bye, Lizzie."

"Bye." Lizzie put the phone back in her purse and turned the radio back up. Rose squealed joyfully.

"Who was that?" Scott asked suspiciously.

"Someone I met a while back. After the movie, you're going to hang out at the hospital with Dad while I go out for a drink, okay?"

Scott scoffed.

"What's wrong, now?" Lizzie sighed.

"I don't want to hang out at the hospital all night. What if I want to sleep?"

"Then curl up on a chair or something. I'll be gone an hour at the most. I really like this guy, Scott. Just do this for me, okay?"

"Okay," Scott smiled at Lizzie. She caught his gaze in the rearview mirror and smiled back.

They visited with Gordo for about 15 minutes before they had to leave for the movie, which Lizzie actually enjoyed more than she expected. She dropped the kids off in Gordo's room again and headed off to 3rd Street.

Craig was sitting at the bar, Scotch in hand. "Lizzie!" he waved her over.

Lizzie slid her purse over the back of the chair and took her seat. She smiled at Craig. "Thanks for inviting me."

"I'm just glad we could work this out." Lizzie nervously ordered a drink for herself and turned to Craig.

"Well…tell me a little bit about yourself."

Craig told Lizzie about why he had wanted to join the military, and how when he was deployed, he had been sent on a mission with five other men. All good friends of his. They had all died, but Craig had gotten out of the way of the bomb just in time. He felt for a long time that he should be dead, too.

"Everything happens for a reason, though, right?" Lizzie said after his story.

"I suppose so," Craig agreed. He looked down into his drink and began to tell about his ex-wife. He then asked why Lizzie had never been married.

"Haven't found anyone," Lizzie said simply, hoping he would get the hint and change the subject.

"I thought you and David had a bit of a thing, did you not?"

Lizzie blushed and looked away. "You know David?"

"Gordo? Yeah! I lived on a base with him for a while. He told me all about his past girlfriend. When I was assigned to inform a Ms. Lizzie McGuire of his disappearance, though, I knew it was _the _Lizzie McGuire he had talked about. How many Lizzie McGuire's live here, after all? I didn't tell you I knew about you, however, because we didn't want to make you grieve any more than necessary."

"Did Gordo tell you…why we broke up?"

"No, he seemed rather touchy about that subject. He bragged about you often, though."

"Bragged about me? You're mistaken. He was married, for Christ's sake." Craig nodded.

"I know. Doesn't mean he can't say you're a good person."

Lizzie blinked. The guy had had a few drinks tonight. He must be a little foggy. But then again, the part about Gordo being touchy about the break up seemed right.

"Lizzie," Craig said, "this isn't just the alcohol talking." Was he reading her mind? Lizzie shook her head. _She _had had a couple drinks, too.

"Okay," she said nervously. "I'd better go. I left the kids at the hospital with Gordo."

"Alright. Oh, and Lizzie? One more thing. Gordo said that you're the only person he would ever trust his kids with."

Lizzie felt her ears burn once again, but before she could say anything, Craig leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. He tasted of Scotch, a bitter taste (one that she wasn't fond of), but Lizzie's head still swirled with adrenaline. She pulled away, gave a smile, and headed out the door to her car.

Once in Gordo's room, Lizzie let loose. She wasn't quite sure what prompted her to do this (perhaps a mixture of the alcohol and her general confusion about what Craig had said), but she walked across the room and smacked Gordo across the face. He sat up in bed, a bright red mark where Lizzie's hand had been.

"Lizzie? What the hell?" Gordo asked, touching his cheek.

"What did you tell Craig about me?" she demanded.

"Craig?"

"Jackson. Craig Jackson. Don't play dumb because I know you know him."

"Craig Jackson. Right. Well, I don't remember what I told him. That was before…all this."

"Gordo, I swear to God, if you told him anything about the breakup—''

"I wouldn't have done that! What would be the point? To embarrass you and make a complete ass of myself?"

"That's what you deserve to be after what you did." Gordo didn't answer.

"When were you with Craig?" He asked finally.

"I just went to have some drinks with him tonight." She glanced around the hospital room. "The kids," she said, "where the hell are they?"

"Down at the nurse's station. They have some big couches in a room back there. They were tired."

"I'm going to get them and head home."

"Wait, Liz," Gordo said, his voice soft. "Did you…have a good time tonight?"

Was that…jealousy she heard in his voice? She brushed it off. "Yes, I did."

"Are you going to see him again?"

"Maybe. What business of it is yours?"

"You're the guardian of my children. That's what business of mine it is."

"Whatever. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Lizzie."

"What is he like?" Rose asked, putting her baby doll on her pillow.

"Nice," Lizzie replied, selecting a pair of PJ's out of the dresser drawer for Rose.

"Is he a Prince Charming? Are you going to marry him and have baby princes and princesses? And live happily ever after?"

"You've seen one too many Disney movie, kiddo," Lizzie smiled. "And just for the record, I don't know if he's my Prince Charming or not. Now come here. I'll help you change."

Rose walked over to Lizzie and held up her arms. Lizzie switched her sweater out for the blue Sleeping Beauty pajama shirt, then they did the same with the pants.

"Do you have an extra pillow?" Rose asked, crawling into bed.

"What for?"

"My baby took my pillow. She was tired of sleeping on the dresser."

Lizzie went into the living room and came back with a pillow off of the couch. "Here you go."

"Thanks. Will you read me a story?"

"Honey, I'm really tired."

"Lizzie," Rose said, stretching the name out in a begging manner.

"Fine, fine. What book?"

"The Three Little Pigs."

Lizzie yawned, grabbed the book, and hopped into bed next to Rose. "Can't you read it to me?"

"I don't know enough words to read the whole thing."

"I'll teach you sometime."

Lizzie went through the motions of reading the book to Rose, then kissed her goodnight and went to talk to Scott.

When she got to the living room, Scott was lying on the couch, his face towards the back of the sofa. Lizzie leaned over him to see if he was asleep and was surprised to see his eyes open and wet with tears.

"Scotty," Lizzie whispered, sitting down on the arm of the couch, "what's wrong, honey?"

"I don't know," Scott said, wiping at his eyes.

"You must know. Why are you so sad?"

"Well, Dad got kind of mad at me tonight."

"Why?"

"Because I was tired and didn't want to take Rose to the cafeteria. She hadn't had anything for a few hours and was getting grumpy, but I was so tired, and…" his voice cracked with a sob.

"Oh, Scott. What happened? Did he yell?"

"Yes, he yelled at me. Then I said that he was getting grouchy, too, and that maybe _he _should eat something." Lizzie winced. It was just the kind of smart-mouthed comment that Gordo would make. Like father like son. "That's when he sent us to the nurse's station to sleep. He said that I was being rude and inconsiderate of his and Rose's feelings."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, sweetie. Everyone's just a little on edge right now, with all that's been going on." Scott shrugged. "He loves you more than anything in the world, you know."

"I know."

"Try to get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

"I've been having a lot of nightmares lately. May I come sleep with you?"

Lizzie hesitated, but then said, "Of course. Grab your pillow." They curled up in Lizzie's bed together and talked and joked until they fell asleep.

**A/N: Been working on this all day. Enjoy. Please R&R, as always. :)**

**-Lucy **


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Finally have time alone. So, I decided to watch Pawn Stars and write. Wow. I need to get a life. :P :)**

**AussieGirl16: THANK YOU. I LOVE YOUR AVATAR, BTW. WOW, TYPING LIKE THIS MAKES THE VOICE IN MY HEAD YELL. :O **

**Boris Yeltsin: Thank you. :) You were one of my first readers (maybe even THE first), so thanks for sticking with me! 3**

Lizzie woke up with one arm sprawled across the pillows on the bed; that hand tingling. She forced the sleep out of her eyes and glanced around, and her eyes fell on Scott, who was resting his head on Lizzie's arm. She slid her arm out from under Scott and wiggled her fingers to wake them up. She ventured down the hall to the kitchen, pulled out a frying pan, and cracked several eggs in it to scramble them. Rose came trotting down the stairs happily, humming some song that Lizzie had never heard; it was probably from some Saturday Morning Cartoon.

"Ssh," Lizzie whispered, "your brother's sleeping." Rose clamped a hand over her mouth and wandered over to the dining room table where she set her baby down. Lizzie snickered and shook her head.

"May I have some apple juice, please?" Rose asked, voice hushed.

"Sure," Lizzie said, and went to go get it. She and Rose spent the morning eating eggs, playing Crazy 8's, and drinking apple juice.

Finally, Scott wandered down the hall into the family room. He rubbed his eyes and sat across from Lizzie.

"Well, well! Look who finally dragged himself out of bed!" Lizzie teased, discarding a 4 of Spades. Scott scowled. "Ouch. I see that you take after your father. Not much of a morning person."

"Mommy was always happy in the mornings," Rose said fondly. "She would get up early and sing while she cooked for us."

Lizzie forced a smile.

"Your mom was a great lady," she said.

"I miss talking about her. Daddy never wanted to. He said it made him sad."

"You can tell me about her if you'd like."

Scott rolled his eyes and went out into the backyard.

"She was so pretty!" Rose cooed. "And she was always happy, even when Daddy wasn't. She would tell us stories and sing us songs."

"That's great, Rosie." Rose murmured something about wanting to invite Sarah over to play, and tottered off to get dressed. Lizzie went outside to get Scott. "We're done talking about your mom, now."

Scott tossed a small stone at the fence. "She didn't want me, you know?"

"What on Earth are you talking about? Of course she wanted you."

"Nope. I was a surprise. They were nearly broke."

"Oh."

"She told me this. Said she still loved me, though."

"She loved you so much."

"Uh-huh."

"Do you miss her terribly?"

"Yeah. She always seemed to love Rose more, though."

"That's not true."

"How would _you _know?"

"I just know. A mother never loves one kid more than the other."

"She did."

Lizzie dropped the subject and examined a patch of melting snow at her feet.

"Getting warmer outside," she commented. Scott shrugged. "Tomorrow's Christmas Eve," she tried again to change the subject.

"Stop trying to change the subject!" Scott snapped.

"I don't have a response for what you said."

"Then just don't answer!"

"Fine!" Lizzie spat, then calmed herself down. "Do you want some cereal or something for breakfast?"

"No thanks." Scott chucked another rock at the fence.

"Suit yourself. Be careful. I don't want any holes in my fence!"

Scott turned to face her, his blue eyes cruel and criticizing. "You _really _think I'm that strong?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes and went inside, slamming the door behind her. She took a deep breath and went to her room to get dressed. She and Scott had fallen out before. He was just so much like his father…. Lizzie shook her head to herself. She didn't want Gordo on her mind. One problem, though: he was _always _there.

She dug out her cell phone and called Craig.

"Hello?" He asked, sounding tired.

"It's Lizzie. Did I wake you?"

"Lizzie! No, you didn't wake me. What's up?"

"My day's not off to a good start. I figured _you _could make it better." What's wrong with a little flirting, anyway?

Craig chuckled. "Would you like to meet somewhere?"

"I'd love to. Got anyplace in mind?"

"Um…could go for a walk in the park."

"Sounds great. Meet you there in 20?"

"See you then." Lizzie got Rose situated in the car and then went out back to get Scott. "Get in the car," she said.

"Why?" Scott asked, picking another stone up from the pile at his feet.

"I'm taking you down to the hospital. I've got to meet someone."

"I don't want to leave." Lizzie sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Scott, just get in the car."

"No! Why should I?"

"You can be mad at me in the car just as well as you can be mad at me here!" Scott simply folded his arms. Lizzie finally stalked across the yard and picked Scott up. To her surprise, he didn't struggle against her. She belted him into the car.

"I need you to watch _your _kids," Lizzie announced, putting her hands on her hips. Gordo raised an eyebrow.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm meeting someone."

"Who?"

"It's still not your business who I see, Gordo?"

"It's Craig, isn't it?" Lizzie blushed.

"Fine. You got me. It's Craig." Gordo felt a pang of jealousy, but pushed it away.

"Oh. Alright. I'm getting discharged tomorrow, by the way."

"Oh, great."

"I figured I'd take the kids home."

"On Christmas Eve?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Nothing. It's just, we've been getting ready for a long time."

"Oh. I see."

"I've got to get going. I'll be back later for the kids."

"Alright."

Lizzie turned and stormed out of the room.

"I don't know what to do about him, Craig," Lizzie said. Craig reached over and took her hand. She shivered.

"Ignore it. Gordo and I are friends, but sometimes he's too stubborn."

"Right." Craig led her over to a bench. He wrapped his arms around her and gently pressed his lips to her neck. Lizzie pulled away. "Moving a little fast, aren't we? Too fast."

"Come on, Liz. Live a little," Craig whispered, his breath hot on her cheek.

"What the hell?" Lizzie smiled and kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth. They continued kissing for a few minutes before Lizzie realized something; with the alcohol not there to cloud her thoughts, she didn't really like kissing Craig. _But why? _She asked herself, _what's wrong with Craig?_ Then she got it.

He's not Gordo.

Lizzie pulled away, blushing.

"What's wrong?" Craig asked. Lizzie studied him. Dirty-blonde hair, blue eyes, swollen lips from all the kissing.

"I can't see you anymore," Lizzie blurted.

"What? Why? I really like you."

"I like you, too, but…I think I'm in love with someone else."

"Oh. I see."

"It's not fair of me to tie you down if I don't feel any chemistry."

"I understand."

"I'm really sorry, Craig," Lizzie said, getting up from the bench. Not waiting for an answer, she ran to her car.

At the hospital, she had every intention of telling Gordo how she felt, but instead ended up acting like a silly school-girl with a crush.

Gordo picked up on this, and his mind wandered back to his conversation with Jason back in Iraq. "Maybe she wants to get back together," Jason had said.

Gordo's heart fluttered. Wait. He was _not _falling for Lizzie. That was crazy.

But then again, maybe it was possible.

**A/N: Sorry it's kind of short. I rushed to finish it because I have to go to bed and wanted to get it posted here. :)**


	12. Author's Note 2

**A/N: Hey, guys. I'm so sorry I've been neglecting my fanfics this past week or so. I've been concentrating on my original pieces, and I've been writing some music. Not just lyrics, but I've also been working out chords on the guitar. Which is surprisingly more difficult than I thought it would be. And I got a pet rabbit, so I've been hanging out with her. In fact, she's crawling up my shoulder right now. :P I'll update both stories soon. Oh, and could you all do me a favor and check out my fictionpress account? I just have poems up right now, but I'll be posting short stories and stuff later. Thanks. **

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	13. Chapter 13

"Lizzie, do we have to leave right before Christmas?" Rose asked, watching Lizzie place the last of her contents into the pink suitcase.

"Yeah," Lizzie replied. "You'll have a nice Christmas with your dad tomorrow, and I'll drop off some presents and cookies later in the evening."

"I'm going to miss you." Lizzie sighed and didn't take her eyes off of Rose's suitcase, for she feared that if she met the little girl's gaze, tears would spill out of her eyes. She had to appear strong.

"I'll miss you, too, kiddo. It's been fun having you here."

"You'll be a good Mommy someday."

Lizzie laughed. "I don't think I'll ever be anyone's Mom. I'm starting to get a little old for that," Lizzie joked, rubbing her back and groaning as if she were an old lady. Rose giggled.

Scott appeared in the doorway, then. "All packed?" Lizzie asked him. He nodded. "All-righty then. Anyone wanna help me cook dinner?"

"I do!" Rose announced, jumping off the bed.

"What about you, Scott?"

"No thanks," Scott replied. Lizzie grabbed his wrist and pulled him out into the hallway.

"Scott, I know you and I haven't always gotten along very well, but can't we just enjoy the last of our time together?" Scott said nothing. He just stared at her with those bizarrely blue eyes, his face blank and expressionless. Lizzie added, "Tonight means a lot to your sister, you know." The breath that Scott must have been holding went out in one big rush, and he nodded.

"Fine."

"Put a smile on your face and we'll meet you in the kitchen." A fake smile spread across Scott's face and Lizzie sighed. She opened her mouth to protest, but decided to leave it alone. She shook her head and went back into the guest room to collect Rose.

Soon they were all stationed in the kitchen with the radio blaring Christmas carols. Scott was absolutely wonderful, not protesting when Lizzie asked him to chop tomatoes for the salad (he hated cooking in general, but chopping was the worst), and singing along loudly with "Jingle Bells," one of Rose's personal favorites.

The oven timer went off and Lizzie dove for her oven mitts. "Hey!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"What?" Rose asked, jumping down off of the chair she had been standing on in order to reach the counter. Lizzie held up the frozen pizza in response.

"Not burnt?!" Scott asked, his face mirroring Lizzie and Rose's own disbelief.

"Not burnt!" Lizzie said back. The girls squealed and jumped up and down. Scott simply chuckled.

After dinner, Rose was put in bed and Scott was sprawled out on the couch watching TV. Seeing Lizzie approaching, he moved his legs over enough for her to sit down.

"You're a pretty good actor, kid," Lizzie commented after a long, uncomfortable silence. "I'll keep my eye open for you in Hollywood someday."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Scott asked, completely ignoring Lizzie. She sighed and ran her hand through her long blonde locks.

"Sure. What is it?"

"I don't really want to go home tomorrow. I'm going to miss you," he said quietly. Lizzie hesitated, then wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace.

"I'll miss you, too," she said back, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Dad's going to be different. Mom's gone, Dad's disabled, and Dad and I'll probably argue a lot, like always. What do I do if that happens? I don't want Rose to be sad."

"You can always call me."

"I like the person I am here better than the one I am at home. Know what I mean?"

"I know what you mean. But it's okay. We'll see each other lots. I promise."

"Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear." The two linked pinkies and watched TV together late into the night. Scott eventually fell asleep on top of Lizzie, and she accepted the fact that she would be spending the night here. These kids had changed her so much. How would she be able to go on and be happy without them? She eventually fell into a light sleep that was plagued with thoughts of Gordo, Scott, and Rose all alone in their big house...and her alone in her little townhouse.

Months had gone by, and not one word had been heard from Gordo. The snow was melting, and Lizzie's wardrobe was slowly changing from sweaters and scarves to tank tops and ripped denim shorts.

Lizzie was pretty much fed up with her ex boyfriend. He hadn't answered her calls, and was somehow never home when she tried to visit. How could he force the kids at her, let her get to know and love them, and then just completely yank them away from her on Christmas day?

Lying on her couch one day, remembering her last night with the kids, Lizzie pulled out her cell phone and dialed Gordo one final time.

"What is it, Lizzie?" Gordo's voice rang through the line. Finally he had the decency to answer. She was surprised he hadn't blocked her number.

"What the hell, Gordo?!" Lizzie exclaimed, tears streaming down her face from an emotional overload. "I'm sitting here going crazy! Where are you guys? Why haven't you answered my calls before now? You're never home, and-!"

"Calm down, McGuire! We moved; I'm just trying to get the kids settled here."

"You _moved? _To where?!"

"Los Angeles." Lizzie's heart plummeted down into her stomach.

"_What?_" she hissed, clutching the phone tightly with both hands.

"You heard me."

"How could you not tell me?"

"Lizzie, listen-"

"How could you be so terrible? You can't just take the kids away from me like this!" She released her death grip on the phone, put it on speaker, and tried to work the stiffness out of her still-white knuckles.

"They're not your kids, Lizzie. I can do whatever I want with them."

"But...don't they miss me like I miss them?"

"They haven't said anything, no."

Lizzie shook that off quickly and asked, "Why on Earth did you decide to move all of a sudden?"

"We needed a change of scenery. The kids are happier here. Isn't that what you want for them?" Lizzie hung up the phone, not knowing what she wanted, not knowing what was running through her head. She curled up on the couch and began to cry again, hating herself for ever meeting Gordo, for ever dating him, for ever doing him the favor of watching his kids. She would be a much happier person right now if Gordo had just never been apart of her life in the first place.

Meanwhile, in California, a frustrated Gordo ran his hands through his messy hair and cursed himself under his breath. How could he break the poor girl's heart like this? How could he go so low as to move the kids just because...well, just because he had finally figured out what Lizzie meant to him.

He had gone and fallen in love with her again, and figured that the best way to get over her was to completely eliminate her from the picture. He wouldn't get hurt that way, he'd thought. But now, because of him, both of them were hurt.

And there was probably no way to fix there relationship.

Gordo cursed again, this time louder. What had he done?

**A/N: Okay, so after thinking about this story and reading bquirk1993's messages, I realized that I wouldn't be able to do any of my homework until this was done. I'm SO sorry it took so long to get this up. Ya know, crap happens (AKA: school). I'll update more frequently, I promise. This story's almost over now. :/ **

**I NEED A BETA READER. It'll help catch any mistakes that I don't find while proof reading, and it'll also motivate me to update my stories more often. If you're interested, just let me know! :) I won't be mean to my beta readers, I promise. ^_^**


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